MountainTrue Raleigh Report
The MountainTrue Raleigh Report covers environmental politics and policy, with a focus on the issues that affect Western North Carolina. Sign up to get the Raleigh Report delivered to your inbox.
Get the Raleigh Report in your email inbox
Raleigh Report: The 2023 Session Kicks Off
While the North Carolina General Assembly officially kicked off its 2023 session with lots of pomp and circumstance earlier this month, January 25th marked the first real working day of the new legislative session. Beginning on that day and every week thereafter —...
2023 Western North Carolina Conservation Legislative Priorities
Protect Public Health – and the Jobs and Businesses that Rely on Clean Water A recent report conducted by economists at Western Carolina University commissioned by the French Broad River Partnership found the total economic impact of the French Broad River and its...
Raleigh Report: Reviewing the Primaries and Looking Ahead to the Budget
Congratulations to all of us for getting through a particularly energetic and crowded primary election season. In this update, we will get you up to speed (quickly) about who in WNC won and lost on Tuesday, then turn our attention to the North Carolina General Assembly, which began its so-called “short session” on May 18.
Raleigh Report: With District Maps in Place, We Preview the Primary Election
Now that the months-long political mud wrestling match known as redistricting is over, it’s a good time to take a look at what the state’s new legislative and congressional maps mean for Western North Carolina. We won’t go over the legislature’s – and the courts’ – torturous path to finalizing districts maps. Suffice to say that the process reached its inglorious end with decisions by both the NC and US Supreme Courts. The House and Senate maps will remain in place for a decade, but the congressional map will be redrawn next year because it was imposed by a court rather than adopted by the legislature.
MountainTrue Wins Historic Investments for WNC
As you may know, lawmakers at the North Carolina General Assembly finally approved a budget in November after months of wrangling among themselves as well as with Governor Cooper. The new spending plan represents the first full budget approved by the legislature and...
Houston, We Have a Budget
After almost a full calendar year in session (to say nothing of a three-year delay since the last budget was approved) the North Carolina General Assembly has approved — and Governor Cooper has signed — a complete spending state plan, which now totals more than $25 billion annually.
‘Energy Solutions’ Bill Sets North Carolina on Path to Carbon Neutrality by 2050
On Wednesday, October 13, Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill called “Energy Solution for North Carolina” or HB 951. Standing behind a podium bearing the words Securing Our Clean Energy Future, Cooper confidently asserted “ … today I will sign a historic bill that gives us an extraordinary new tool in our fight against climate change. Today, North Carolina moves strongly into a reliable and affordable clean energy future.”
Clearly, this wasn’t the same HB 951 that had been negotiated behind closed doors by House Republicans, Duke Energy, and other industry groups and passed by the House on a 57-49 vote in July.
Senate Budget Includes Enviro Investments. Will the House Follow?
This year’s state budget could include crucial investments in water quality, the environment, and public lands. We need your help to win support for much-needed funding to clean up WNC rivers and protect our environment. Take action today and help us win a better budget for our communities and the environment.
MT Raleigh Report: How Legislative Advocacy Helped Us Track Down E. coli Pollution
On the French Broad River, our data showed a sharp increase in E. coli levels several years ago – but while we knew E. coli was spiking, we couldn’t say for certain where it was coming from. We needed funding to do more sensitive eDNA testing and determine the major sources of E. coli in the river. That’s when our lobbying effort in Raleigh kicked in.
MT Raleigh: Delegation Committee Assignments + Cooper Names New DEQ Sec.
In this edition of the Raleigh Report, we take a look at Governor Cooper’s new appointee for DEQ Secretary and run down our WNC delegation and their committee appointments.